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“Bridges to Circles” form to fight poverty Staff Reports, Dec 8, 2009
COURTESY PHOTOS
Brandon Dean, 8, the son of a Circle Leader, won a bicycle at the Getting Ahead self-sufficiency fair sponsored by Unite Escambia’s Poverty Solutions Team in partnership with Pensacola Boys Base.
Staff reports
There’s no “quick fix” for lifting families out of poverty. But one approach is offering hope through a long-term process that addresses some of the systemic causes of poverty.
In summer 2009, the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries established the Circles Campaign as its pilot ministry to the poor in the U.S., beginning in the Western North Carolina Conference, where three sites have committed to helping 75 families out of poverty.
But for two years, the Circles Campaign has already partnered with community organizations, individual volunteers and many United Methodists to help break the cycle of poverty in Escambia County, Fla., where more than 15 percent of the residents live below the federal poverty line.
In 2007, volunteers from churches, social service organizations and businesses gathered together to address the issue of poverty. The Escambia County School district kicked off the effort by bringing in Ruby Payne, author of the “Bridges out of Poverty” research model. Dr. Payne’s work focuses on why students from generational poverty struggle in school. “Generational poverty” means two or more generations of a family have lived in poverty.
Children raised in an environment of ongoing poverty acquire a mindset that is different from that of children raised in more self-sufficient homes, according to Dr. Payne. She identified “hidden rules,” the invisible yardsticks that determine who belongs and who deserves respect in a community.
She also explored “social capital”—the importance of social connections with people who are involved in the lives of individuals. To succeed, young people need “bonding capital”—adults who surround them with love and support—as well as “bridging capital”—individuals who help them connect to events or ways of thinking outside of their immediate surroundings.
Following Dr. Payne’s visit, community leaders began holding workshops and formed action teams to work on the systemic barriers that trap people in poverty. The next step was a visit from Philip E. DeVol, who trained facilitators on his curriculum, “Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ By World.” The curriculum helps people living in poverty understand the hidden rules in a community as well as how to develop social capital.
Next came a visit from Scott Miller of the national Circles Campaign in January 2008. The Circles concepts links people living in poverty with volunteers from the community who serve as allies as they work their goals to move to self-sufficiency.
Catholic Charities came forward as the lead agency for what became known as “Bridges to Circles” in Escambia County. Grant funds from the McMillan Foundation and the United Way of Escambia County were used to hire two staff people for the effort—a Baptist layperson and Janet Westlake, a United Methodist diaconal minister.
In March 2009, graduates of the Getting Ahead classes were matched with community volunteers who served as their allies. Each circle is composed of a Circle Leader and two to four allies. The person moving out of poverty is known as the Circle Leader, as his or her goals are what guide the direction of the Circle.
Bridges to Circles meets every Tuesday night in a session that includes dinner, a large group bonding time and the small groups meeting. Each month also brings speakers on topics of interest to the Circle Leaders and Big View sessions that link the Circle Leaders and allies with projects and advocacy efforts to address the systemic barriers of poverty in the community.
United Methodist lay people have participated in the ongoing effort on all levels: by leading training seminars on the Bridges concepts, facilitating Getting Ahead classes, recruiting volunteers for all the actions teams, serving as allies for families moving to self-sufficiency and developing a public awareness campaign on the cost of poverty to a community.
Several United Methodist congregations have hosted training events. The Pensacola District United Methodist Women have promoted these efforts, and many Sunday school classes, intergenerational dinners and mission breakfasts have heard presentations on the Circles concepts. Volunteers from First UMC in Pensacola, Fla., have led presentations and recruited volunteers.
The national Circles model asks participants to make a 12-18 month commitment. Cincinnati Works, a workforce retention program operating in Cincinnati, Ohio, reports it takes an average of six to seven years to move people from below the federal poverty line to self-sufficiency, defined as 200 percent above the federal poverty line.
Current Circle Leaders are working on goals such as purchasing their first home, creating a small business, completing a GED or going to college, supporting their church and raising productive, well-developed children.
Bridges to Circles and Unite Escambia’s Poverty Solutions Team are aiming to achieve a 50 percent reduction in poverty in Escambia County with a long-range goal of every person having the resources and support to be self-sufficient.
“We’re learning that helping families reach their goals is a long-term commitment,” said Ms Westlake, Bridges to Circles community organizer. “But with the support of United Methodists and their congregations from throughout the community, children, youth and adults will escape the bonds of poverty.”
COURTESY PHOTOS
She also explored “social capital”—the importance of social connections with people who are involved in the lives of individuals. To succeed, young people need “bonding capital”—adults who surround them with love and support—as well as “bridging capital”—individuals who help them connect to events or ways of thinking outside of their immediate surroundings. 
